So I'm a long-time Windows user who has always drooled a bit over Macs.
I've always wanted one, but it was never the right time to buy one.
Well, I go through about a laptop a year. I use them a LOT and the last two have crapped out on me. The first one exploded on my lap, the second has about a 4 inch wobble on the screen and is missing three keys now.
So I decided it was time for a Mac.
I ordered it. 2.4 Ghz, 4GB RAM, 250GB HDD. White.
I was excited.
The day I heard it came in the mail, I couldn't wait to get home from work to play with it.
I grinned when I had it in the car seat next to me on the way home. I kept my hand on the box the whole time.
When I opened it up, my first reaction was, "Oooh, even the packing styrofoam is pretty!," followed immediately by, "Oooh, SHINY!"
I opened it up, booted it up, and was immediately transported back to elementary school by the simple little startup sound. Elementary school was the last time I used a Mac, and that was to play Oregon Trail and whatever that God-awful paint program was.
My first impression of the OS was... Emptiness.
It had a dead feeling to it.
It was like a blonde: Very pretty, but generally not at all smart.
I don't know why that was my first impression; maybe because I was unfamiliar with the system. In fact, that's almost definately the case.
The dead feeling has since faded, but I still almost feel like I'm using a demo version. A sterilized version.
But that's probably because I'm used to seeing the guts of Windows, you know?
I was incredibly impressed with the speed and how quickly after startup the computer was ready to use. With Windows, after it boots, you have to wait a bit for everything to load. Not the case here.
Thumbs up!
As I started to install some programs, Bittorrent and Firefox, namely, I got a bit confused. Installation was prettier, but more confusing.
I still don't understand why things show up on my desktop. And dragging to trash. I don't understand this at all.
Some things about the design of the computer:
I was actually disappointed with the keyboard. The keys feel like they're farther apart, and they're a lot... 'clickier' than I had thought they would be. I was expecting a much softer and quieter touch. And the mouse button looks kind of strange to me. Like it's not set in right. But I guess I'll get used to it.
I love the fact that when I close the lid, it goes to sleep, and when I open the lid, it's instantly ready again. Amazing!
As I mentioned in another post, things went terribly, terribly wrong.
One of the main reasons I went through with getting a Mac is because of Boot Camp. So I decided to get that out of the way before anything else.
Loaded Boot Camp. Partitioned the drive. Put in the Windows CD and...
Everything went wrong. The install failed, I couldn't boot out of the install disc, ejected the disc, boot up with a black screen and a cursor, couldn't boot into leopard... I started to panic.
Tried to boot from the Leopard disc.
It asked me where I would like to install Leopard.
There was nothing to select.
In two hours... I had terribly maimed my computer.
Called Apple Care.
I explained what happened. I was sniffling a little.
He told me that it was dead.
I started crying.
I begged him, pleaded with him, asking if there was anything I could troubleshoot. Anything I could try.
He told me there was nothing I could do.
And even though I was crying, he seemed to show no sympathy.
It was not a pleasant first experience with Apple Care. He didn't even ask any questions.
So I drove 45 minutes to my nearest Apple Store, still snuffling. They gave me an appointment.
Didn't even look at it.
Told me that they'd replace the hard drive.
But they didn't have it in stock.
Said I could send it in and they'd replace it.
They used the term "DOA" and "Dead" a lot.
I didn't want to send it in and wait for a new one! I wanted one now!
But I knew I had no options, so I agreed to send it in.
Got home, miserable.
Decided that I had nothing to lose by going online to see if anyone else had this problem.
Found a post on another forum about the same situation I had, and something about Disk Utility.
So I futzed around with it for a while, and long story short, managed to reinstall Leopard and have a fully functioning computer again that I have affectionately named, "Zombie."
(By the way, is there any way to change the name of the computer from -My name-'s Computer?)
So now I have a working macbook again and I'm ecstatic. I'm a but traumatized, though. I'm getting a fresh copy of Windows XP (I'm pretty sure that the problem was a faulty disc) and plan to try Boot Camp again, although I'm terrified to do so.
Some other impressions: Everything seems a lot more... Sealed? Is sealed the right word? With Windows, I feel like I can see through the cracks into the innards of its programming. With this, I feel like everything's been coated in a nice layer of shellac.
However, things like downloading and installing are confusing to me. I feel like my mom when I tell her to do something on the computer.
I got an InCase hardshell to protect the computer, but the charger doesn't fit in quite right and I'm a little irritated about that.
That's ok, I'll take a file to the case later.
I can barely tell the difference between Firefox and Safari.
TextEdit strikes me as a less than stellar program for word processing. It looks too simple.
Would you recommend getting iWork since I'm going away to college for my Bachelors?
There is an obsession with keeping this computer clean that I have never had with any other computer.
Do you think the reason they last longer is because there's some magical ingredient that seeps through your skin and compels you to complete it?
Is this the same magic ingredient that has turned me to defending even the tech that didn't try to fix the computer even though it could have saved me a lot of time and grief if he had?
The same ingredient that makes me a "fangirl?"
What's that little black dot next to the white light on the front side of the case?
Have you ever had a macbook overheat and cut out? How often does this happen?
One of the first things I also noticed was the location of the vents. I like where they are. I can put the computer on my lap without worrying about it overhearing because the fan can't ventilate.
Oh, and one more question.
What do I use for "unzipping" compressed files? Like .zip or .rar?
Oh. And using the trackpad for clicking and dragging: I find it very annoying that when I drag something and go to drop it, I have to wait a second before the item is released. Is there any way to make the release instantaneous?
Thanks!
I've always wanted one, but it was never the right time to buy one.
Well, I go through about a laptop a year. I use them a LOT and the last two have crapped out on me. The first one exploded on my lap, the second has about a 4 inch wobble on the screen and is missing three keys now.
So I decided it was time for a Mac.
I ordered it. 2.4 Ghz, 4GB RAM, 250GB HDD. White.
I was excited.
The day I heard it came in the mail, I couldn't wait to get home from work to play with it.
I grinned when I had it in the car seat next to me on the way home. I kept my hand on the box the whole time.
When I opened it up, my first reaction was, "Oooh, even the packing styrofoam is pretty!," followed immediately by, "Oooh, SHINY!"
I opened it up, booted it up, and was immediately transported back to elementary school by the simple little startup sound. Elementary school was the last time I used a Mac, and that was to play Oregon Trail and whatever that God-awful paint program was.
My first impression of the OS was... Emptiness.
It had a dead feeling to it.
It was like a blonde: Very pretty, but generally not at all smart.
I don't know why that was my first impression; maybe because I was unfamiliar with the system. In fact, that's almost definately the case.
The dead feeling has since faded, but I still almost feel like I'm using a demo version. A sterilized version.
But that's probably because I'm used to seeing the guts of Windows, you know?
I was incredibly impressed with the speed and how quickly after startup the computer was ready to use. With Windows, after it boots, you have to wait a bit for everything to load. Not the case here.
Thumbs up!
As I started to install some programs, Bittorrent and Firefox, namely, I got a bit confused. Installation was prettier, but more confusing.
I still don't understand why things show up on my desktop. And dragging to trash. I don't understand this at all.
Some things about the design of the computer:
I was actually disappointed with the keyboard. The keys feel like they're farther apart, and they're a lot... 'clickier' than I had thought they would be. I was expecting a much softer and quieter touch. And the mouse button looks kind of strange to me. Like it's not set in right. But I guess I'll get used to it.
I love the fact that when I close the lid, it goes to sleep, and when I open the lid, it's instantly ready again. Amazing!
As I mentioned in another post, things went terribly, terribly wrong.
One of the main reasons I went through with getting a Mac is because of Boot Camp. So I decided to get that out of the way before anything else.
Loaded Boot Camp. Partitioned the drive. Put in the Windows CD and...
Everything went wrong. The install failed, I couldn't boot out of the install disc, ejected the disc, boot up with a black screen and a cursor, couldn't boot into leopard... I started to panic.
Tried to boot from the Leopard disc.
It asked me where I would like to install Leopard.
There was nothing to select.
In two hours... I had terribly maimed my computer.
Called Apple Care.
I explained what happened. I was sniffling a little.
He told me that it was dead.
I started crying.
I begged him, pleaded with him, asking if there was anything I could troubleshoot. Anything I could try.
He told me there was nothing I could do.
And even though I was crying, he seemed to show no sympathy.
It was not a pleasant first experience with Apple Care. He didn't even ask any questions.
So I drove 45 minutes to my nearest Apple Store, still snuffling. They gave me an appointment.
Didn't even look at it.
Told me that they'd replace the hard drive.
But they didn't have it in stock.
Said I could send it in and they'd replace it.
They used the term "DOA" and "Dead" a lot.
I didn't want to send it in and wait for a new one! I wanted one now!
But I knew I had no options, so I agreed to send it in.
Got home, miserable.
Decided that I had nothing to lose by going online to see if anyone else had this problem.
Found a post on another forum about the same situation I had, and something about Disk Utility.
So I futzed around with it for a while, and long story short, managed to reinstall Leopard and have a fully functioning computer again that I have affectionately named, "Zombie."
(By the way, is there any way to change the name of the computer from -My name-'s Computer?)
So now I have a working macbook again and I'm ecstatic. I'm a but traumatized, though. I'm getting a fresh copy of Windows XP (I'm pretty sure that the problem was a faulty disc) and plan to try Boot Camp again, although I'm terrified to do so.
Some other impressions: Everything seems a lot more... Sealed? Is sealed the right word? With Windows, I feel like I can see through the cracks into the innards of its programming. With this, I feel like everything's been coated in a nice layer of shellac.
However, things like downloading and installing are confusing to me. I feel like my mom when I tell her to do something on the computer.
I got an InCase hardshell to protect the computer, but the charger doesn't fit in quite right and I'm a little irritated about that.
That's ok, I'll take a file to the case later.
I can barely tell the difference between Firefox and Safari.
TextEdit strikes me as a less than stellar program for word processing. It looks too simple.
Would you recommend getting iWork since I'm going away to college for my Bachelors?
There is an obsession with keeping this computer clean that I have never had with any other computer.
Do you think the reason they last longer is because there's some magical ingredient that seeps through your skin and compels you to complete it?
Is this the same magic ingredient that has turned me to defending even the tech that didn't try to fix the computer even though it could have saved me a lot of time and grief if he had?
The same ingredient that makes me a "fangirl?"
What's that little black dot next to the white light on the front side of the case?
Have you ever had a macbook overheat and cut out? How often does this happen?
One of the first things I also noticed was the location of the vents. I like where they are. I can put the computer on my lap without worrying about it overhearing because the fan can't ventilate.
Oh, and one more question.
What do I use for "unzipping" compressed files? Like .zip or .rar?
Oh. And using the trackpad for clicking and dragging: I find it very annoying that when I drag something and go to drop it, I have to wait a second before the item is released. Is there any way to make the release instantaneous?
Thanks!
